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Graduation, the moment the entire year at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles had led up to.
Finally Shuichi would get his piece of paper and leave his studies behind. He didn’t know a single student who wasn't happy to put the hours of classes, burning midnight oil and stupid presentations behind them. At the same time, there was a saddening side to it, even if he didn’t realize it yet.
Today was the final day to return forgotten books or pick up anything you’d left behind. While emptying his dorm Shuichi found a detective novel he had yet to return to the library, so he came to drop it off. The last thing he wanted was a fine after a perfect track record.
It also made for a good excuse to roam the halls one more time. Since most everyone had already left it was quiet. No students pushing you by the shoulder hopping from class to class, or the potential of being shot down by a project - literally, Miu’s public invention tests were a danger to everyone. He’d never see these walls or floors again, bathing in it one final time only made sense.
But even without the book or melancholy he would have returned to the school. The graduation event was chaotic and busy. It was an evening of celebration, but also of goodbyes. Ultimates from all over the country had gathered to study at the academy. Once school ended, they’d return to their homes. They’d go from constantly being on each other’s lips to living completely separate lives.
Naturally Shuichi wanted to say proper goodbyes to several of his classmates for that reason. Just one final conversation. But with how busy the evening was and being surrounded by the likes of Kaito, he simply didn’t have the opportunity to do so. While he could live with the idea of not having said a personal goodbye to some of them, there was one person he really did need to speak to. He was confident she’d still be here on the final day as well. There was no way she’d leave her Ultimate Lab behind without a final good scrub.
The room gave off an antique vibe. Large red drapes dressed the school windows, further darkening the old wooden furniture. The aesthetic mimicked that of a fancy dining room. Usually plates and cutlery were set up for the dolls to mimic dinner time. With the school closing for holiday they had been removed.
That wasn’t all, though. One corner had a small kitchen to make light meals or high tea. In the other corner a white wall hid a small armada of washing machines, vacuums, pressure washers and whatever else. Clearly they’d been put to good use one last time. The air smelled freshly of lavender and every piece of furniture shone to a point. The floor practically showed Shuichi’s reflection.
And just as expected Kirumi was right here, putting away the used cleaning supplies.
Shuichi smiled at the sight, “You’re predictable, Kirumi.”
Despite his sudden appearance, Kirumi was not surprised. She turned to him as if he’d been standing there all along. Maybe Shuichi’s behavior was equally predictable.
“It is important to leave a lasting impression, especially in the final moment,” she declared. “I certainly hope you have left your own lab in a good state as well.”
Of course he had. It would only be proper. Though his level of cleanliness did not come near what Kirumi had done.
He quickly ended the subject by answering with a nod. If she'd get the impression his lab wasn’t sparkly clean, she might get the urge to do it herself. “But with predictable I also meant I expected you to still be here. Or hoped, I suppose.”
“Is that so? Do you have a request? It’s the very last time I can be of service to you, so use it wisely.”
“Ahaha, no… Or maybe kind of? I just, uh… I wanted to bid my proper goodbyes to you.”
“... Pardon?”
“We didn’t get to talk during the graduation itself… I know we’ve spoken plenty the past weeks, but that’s not the same. I think we are close enough to warrant something personal.”
She stared at him like she didn’t understand the idea of a final conversation. Eventually a gentle smile tucked at her lips and she let out a soft giggle. “Of course you would want to do such a thing…”
“... What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” she continued to smile. She stepped closer to him, but not too close either. For some unknown reason a distance had to be kept. “So… what does this ‘proper goodbye’ of yours entail exactly?”
Great question. He didn’t know.
“Erm, um… I… I wanted to say I’m glad to have spent time with you, Kirumi.”
“Likewise. I have fully enjoyed being your classmate,” her smile grew ever so lightly. “I cannot help but be curious about where your life is headed.”
“... My life?”
“Yes. Now comes the time for your potential to flourish so you can become the man you’re meant to be. I’m a little sad I won’t get to see it.”
His brow drew together. Had she interpreted his desire for a ‘final goodbye’ in its most extreme? “I don’t want to lose contact with you, you know.”
“... Have you accepted my offer to serve you after all?”
“N-no. I really need to see what I can do on my own. I meant that I would like to talk to you again, as a classmate. Maybe we can meet up to have tea some time.”
“...”
… Did she still not understand?
“Those… are nice last words, Shuichi.” She still smiled, but there was a pinch of something completely else in there.
Shuichi didn’t see it though. He stood too far away. “Then it’s a promise,” he smiled back. “I’ll call you sometime. And I’m sure you’ll achieve great things too, Kirumi. Goodbye.”
“... Goodbye, Shuichi.”
He turned to the door and put his hand on the knob to turn it.
But he couldn’t do it.
Maybe he was scared to officially leave the nice memories with Kirumi behind? How many people actually do stay in contact with their old school friends? Especially with someone as successfully occupied as Kirumi.
No, he promised to call her. He’d do it for sure. So then why…
With a twist in his heart Shuichi turned back to her, and for a second, she appeared to be in equal pain. She looked away too quickly to be sure. The air turned stale.
It remained quiet until Kirumi let out a soft chuckle. It wasn’t one of happiness though, more so one of nostalgia. “It seems such a short time ago that we met.”
He instinctively returned the feeling. “The year did pass very fast…”
“I remember the first time we met. That look on your face. You were in such desperate need of me.”
“Wh-what…?” Shuichi’s cheeks flushed.
She giggled softly at his reaction. “You were caught in a shell of self-deprecation and needed to believe more in yourself. I could not possibly leave you alone.” She drew her hands together and lightly rocked back and forth on her feet. She almost seemed… giddy? “That’s why I happily studied with you, optimized your training routine, made you present to me over and over to practice your public speaking skills.”
It was true. Kirumi had been a great help in improving himself and becoming a better detective. But he still felt weird over her intense wording of ‘needing’ her. She saw that too.
“Mm, and then there were of course those times it’d rain.”
She got him there.
Despite all his detective-ness, Shuichi was terrible at checking the weather forecast. At the end of the first week of school it rained after class. And since he hadn’t checked the weather, he stood on the porch without an umbrella. Just when he accepted soaking himself to the bone and probably becoming sick as a result, Kirumi happened to walk out. Of course, she did bring an umbrella. She took him along to the dorms and poured him a cup of green tea.
It wasn’t just a one off thing either. Every time it rained, Shuichi forgot his umbrella. And then, as if it was fate, Kirumi would arrive to his side to shield him from the cold. Always.
Secretly… he spent a lot of time with her.
When graduation creeped closer, his first thoughts went to parting from Kaede, Kaito and Maki. It made sense with how close they were. While still true, he only now realized how carefully integrated Kirumi had been into his life as well. She was so much bigger than he thought. A constant type of silent comfort that his mind hadn’t considered to be something he could ever lose. Not until now.
Is that why he couldn’t bear to leave?
Kirumi continued, “You have changed a lot since that first day. You are not the same insecure detective you were at the beginning.”
Her brow drew together in what almost looked to be hurt, but not entirely that either. Something solemn rested on her heart, that same expression she repressed when he was about to leave.
Longing.
“I have to thank you,” she said. The words sounded uncharacteristically heavy.
“... What for?”
“You needed me, but… I have now found myself understanding I needed you too.”
She needed him?
Despite Shuichi’s great sleuthing skills, this made no sense. How could someone like Kirumi, an incredibly talented intellectual who might have as well earned several awards already, possibly need someone? Worse, someone like him.
Sure, detectives are needed to solve mysteries, find missing people, perhaps bring some justice. But he wasn’t the only Ultimate Detective at this school nor the most outstanding one. Even then, outside his talent, Shuichi never felt anyone truly needed him. It was the other way around.
He was the one to be pulled along by people, extroverts like Kaito and Kaede adopting him. To truly socialise and find a sense of belonging. Not as Ultimate, but as a person. Now that he thought about it, Kirumi was the complete opposite of him. Her sense of belonging came from her talent.
Kirumi helped everyone and everything wherever she could - which meant practically everything. She’d told him before that being a maid is what she was born to be, helping others excel was her devotion. On the surface it made her seem like an incredibly social person. Always being around people, talking with them. But simultaneously always in service of her talent.
She didn’t mind that, Shuichi knew as much, yet he couldn’t help but suddenly see how truly lonesome the position was. Everyone knew where to find Kirumi when they required her services, but they’d rarely go out of their way to invite her for something casual. Sharing a cup of tea, going shopping, talking about the newest episode of a popular show. Everything friends may do, she didn’t get to do with anyone.
Because in all realness, she didn’t have any friends.
And no matter how much she might deny it, she was still human at the end of a day. A teen who wanted to fit in, figure herself out and experience relationships. And Shuichi, well, he enjoyed her for who she was as an equal. He was the one who specifically wanted to know that personal side of her. He cared for her in a way no one else did. It was the kind of appreciation she had secretly always craved.
That’s why she needed him. And it took her all the way up till their split to realize that.
Shuichi’s chest tightened and his heart skipped a beat. Every attempt at opening his mouth left him with a dry mess inside. His skin felt so hot all of a sudden. He wanted to speak, he had to speak. Why couldn’t he?
Kirumi knew he wouldn’t say anything, and it didn’t seem she wanted him to either. If anything, his silence made things easier on her.
With her hands faintly holding her dress she approached him, halting right in front of him. Her near white skin glowed to a light rosy color as her lips pressed together. There was a desire to do something desperate, something a small selfish voice in the back of her heart yearned for - so was evident from her constant triangular gaze.
She wouldn’t give in to it, though. No. That would go against her selfless devotion.
The only thing she allowed herself to indulge in was one final touch. Her hand moved to Shuichi’s shoulder, to the collarbone, and rested itself there light as a feather. At a painfully slow pace her long fingers brushed over his jacket to remove imaginary dust.
Shuichi’s senses registered her movements on his skin by the thousands. It was oddly sensual. He found himself forgetting how to swallow.
Despite the microscopic dust surely being gone, Kirumi did not remove her hand. She kept it resting on his chest with a soft clutch.
Her eyes crossed Shuichi’s and caught them like a magnet. The way her brow drew together with the corners of her lips looked so peculiar.
Why did she look at him like that? Like she was savoring his image because it was the very last time she could. Like his promise was a lie and they’d never see each other again after this.
Her voice softened, “I’m sure you’ll do good on your own, Shuichi.”
Her fingertips slowly drew away from his chest and she left the room.
…
…
…
Tick.
Tick. Tick.
Small raindrops hit the window, echoing through the empty luxury. Shuichi blinked out of his paralysis at the sudden sound and wandered to the edge.
Dark clouds slowly drifted towards the academy, the green tint of the courtyard already having lost its brightness. Kirumi speedwalked down the main path and towards the gates. A black car waited there for her to open the door and get in.
The car’s engine roared and left to take Kirumi who knows where.
After a while of staring at the now empty parking spot, Shuichi took his own leave. He closed the richly decorated doors of the Ultimate Maid’s lab for the final time, walked down the typical stale school hallways for the final time, and opened the academy’s grand entrance doors for the final time.
It had started pouring by now. The rain clattered on the pavement in what could only be described as a mish-mash of tunes. A wind had picked up to intense the harshness, blowing the tree leaves from left to right and right to left. Not in a stormy type of way, but noticeable enough. Shuichi didn’t enjoy the idea of walking through weather like this, but he had little other choice. How else would he get where he needed to go?
Besides, with his umbrella by his side everything’d turn out fine.
A habitual smile grew on his face and he looked beside him. There was no one there.
Right.
He didn’t have his umbrella anymore.